


Liquid Luck

by somethingvaguetodo



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Identity Reveal, Not that slow of a burn, Post-Episode: s03 Miracle Queen (The Battle of the Miraculous Part 2), potion making
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:40:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24610918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somethingvaguetodo/pseuds/somethingvaguetodo
Summary: Ladybug enlists Chat Noir's help in decoding the remaining ingredients for the power-up transformation potions. Together, they work on creating them, and possibly destroying the barriers between them.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 188
Kudos: 437





	1. Green

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there everyone! Guess who should be working on her dissertation but instead has 10 WIPs to do instead? Yep, it's me!! Here's my newest idea, which will *shockingly* result in a fluffy reveal between these babies. I made up all the ingredients, and tried to keep them themed to each potion - let me know if anyone has ideas for what powers might be and what ingredients might be! Hope you enjoy!

Ladybug sat cross-legged on the roof of Le Palais Garnier under an overcast sky, stirring the contents of a large black cauldron. She was surrounded by piles and cartons of ingredients, some mundane kitchen items, and others that were more unique.

Chat Noir touched down next to her, and she glanced up at his puzzled expression. "Oh, professor, can I be excused? I left my book in Gryffindor tower."

"Har har," Ladybug intoned, gesturing for him to sit next to her. "And stop pretending you're a Gryffindor." Chat scowled at her but settled in, sinking into a similar cross-legged position and peering curiously into the cauldron. Ladybug reached across him for a sprig of mint, tossing it into the pot before grinding in some black pepper. 

"Are you making soup?" Chat asked. He tried to dip a claw in, looking to take a taste, but Ladybug slapped his hand away. 

"No, you were right earlier," Ladybug told him. "It's Potions class."

She turned to face him fully, letting the potion in front of her settle. "I used up my last aqua macaron running from Miracle Queen's bees. Do you have any aqua cheese left?"

Chat shrugged, but unzipped his side pocket and removed a carton. Ladybug sighed as he opened it, forever upset about his pocket space. Together they looked inside. Most of the colored wedges were full, but there was only a bite left of the green one that allowed an aquatic power up. "Looks like I have enough for one more transformation," Chat answered. "So you're making more potions?"

"Yep," Ladybug chirped, handing him a piece of paper bearing Master Fu's notes. "The grimoire was written in runes that only guardians could read, so luckily Master Fu translated it all before passing the guardianship. Because I took a look at it and have no idea what it says."

"So these are the ingredients for each potion?" Chat asked, reading the list.

Ladybug nodded. "The base of the potion is the same each time, but there are a few extra ingredients that need to be added at the end to make it specific for each transformation. Even translated to French, the ingredients are still kind of in code. See here," she pointed to the ingredients listed beside the green dot, "'branch from the dragon king's garden' is seaweed, and 'secret kept in a shell' is a pearl."

As she told him, she picked a sheet of seaweed out of one container, offering it to Chat. He scrunched his nose in disgust, and Ladybug laughed, dropping it into the cauldron. The potion inside emitted a faint green glow. 

Chat's eyes were wide with wonder as he watched the potion, and Ladybug couldn't help but smile. "Here," she said, "you add the next ingredient." She handed him a small box. 

He popped it open to see a small pearl inside. "Where'd this come from?" 

Ladybug shrugged. "No one said being a guardian comes cheap."

Chat sighed as he pinched the pearl carefully in his claws. "You need to tell me these things so I can buy them." He dropped the pearl in the potion and it hissed, the green glowing brighter. "What other ridiculous ingredients do you need?"

"Actually," Ladybug began, turning away from the potion to face Chat, "I'm not really sure." She reached for the ingredient list she had given Chat earlier. "Master Fu gave me this translation, but it doesn't say what the ingredients are, exactly."

Chat squinted at the list. "These are pretty strange. He didn't give you any clues?"

Ladybug shook her head. "No. And I can't ask Tikki or Wayzz or anyone else because the recipes are always kept secret from the kwamis, in case they end up in the hands of an enemy."

"Maybe I can help out?" Chat sounded hopeful, and Ladybug felt a weight lift off her shoulders. As much as she tried to hide it from Chat - and everyone else - the stress of becoming the guardian was starting to pile up. As of now she didn't have to worry about making the other power-up potions, but it was best not to leave it until an emergency. And Chat, who was always so eager to help and be included, was the only person she knew she could trust with this.

Ladybug reached over and took Chat's hand, giving it a light squeeze. "I'd love it if you would help me with this." In the silence of the rooftop, with the soft green glow reflecting in Chat's eyes, Ladybug felt some of her walls crumbling down. "It's pretty scary having to tackle all of the new guardian responsibilities alone. I know Fu was training me for this, but I never thought it was going to happen this soon. And trying to balance this with my personal life..." she trailed off, not sure what to make of the look in Chat's eyes. "It's just a lot."

The silence hung between them for a moment, but it was comfortable. Chat squeezed her hand, and slid so that their fingers were intertwined. "I want to be there for anything you need, Ladybug." His voice was soft, almost a whisper. "If you need someone to listen, someone to help, or someone to buy expensive potion ingredients, I'm here." He smiled. "I'm your man."

Ladybug smiled, feeling her face flush at his words and trying not to read too much into the warm feeling that pooled in her stomach at the thought that he was _hers_.

"I know," she answered, not that it had to be said, but just to see how much Chat brightened at hearing it from her.

Chat looked like he wanted to say something else, but after a moment he sent her an easy smile. “So what’s my first job?”

Ladybug disentangled their hands to pick up the ingredient list. “There’s six other potions. Maybe we should split it up?”

Chat scooted closer to read the list from over her shoulder. She could feel the heat of him behind her. “Hmm,” he hummed, and it rumbled in his chest like a purr. “These seem really out there.” He reached around her and pointed to the orange dot. “Like ‘a poison you eat.’ What could that be?”

“I don’t know,” Ladybug answered, turning her head to see just how close he was. He pulled back, but just by a hair. “How about we tackle one potion at a time, and both brainstorm ideas for each clue? Then we can see what works?”

"We can just throw them all in the pot?"

Ladybug laughed, feeling the heaviness between them lessen. "Yeah, it won't hurt to have extra ingredients. We can test every crazy thing you come up with."

Chat grinned, all his teeth showing. "Every single one?"

"Every single one."

Chat rested his chin on her shoulder, and she felt his weight, solid and comfortable. "Which should we work on first?"

"How about blue?" Ladybug suggested. "That's one that we've used before."

"Good call." Chat said. His hair tickled her cheek. "Are we done with the green one?"

Ladybug smiled, moving away from him so that she could look him in the eye. "No, the most important ingredient is missing." She pointed to the paper. 

"A tear of joy," Chat read. "What's that code for?"

"Nothing. It's literally a tear of joy. I had to tell Master Fu a bunch of jokes to make him laugh."

"Jokes?" Chat puffed himself up. "Oh, this is exactly what you need me for."

"Chat," Ladybug said, laying a gentle hand on his arm. "When have I ever laughed that much at any of your jokes?"

"But I heard a really good one!" Chat jumped to his feet. "Hawkmoth walks into a bar and orders a soixante quinze -"

"Chat, you told me that one last week," Ladybug interrupted him, "when that bartender was akumatized."

Chat tilted his head to the side. "Did I really? Well, let me think of another one." 

"Maybe I should tell you mine," Ladybug suggested, also rising to her feet. 

"LB, you have many talents, but telling jokes is not one of them." Ladybug glared at him, and Chat gave her a placating smile. "Remember that one about the one legged jockey? It made no sense."

"You make no sense," Ladybug grumbled under her breath. Suddenly struck with an idea, she grinned. "You know what, we don't need jokes for a tear of joy. I know just how to get one."

Without further explanation she pounced, tackling Chat to the rooftop and straddling his hips. Chat looked shocked, and entirely too hopeful. Ladybug didn't allow herself a moment to think about his reaction before digging her fingers into his ribs and tickling him. 

Chat immediately started squirming away from her fingers, but she held on, pinning him to the ground as she tickled him mercilessly. Chat panted, hooted, hollered, and laughed uproariously, and Ladybug continued until she saw the first sign of tears in his eyes. She rolled off of him, grabbing a vial with a stopper from her supplies, and holding it up to his eye. Chat wheezed, one hand clutching his stomach, but let her collect a few of his tears. 

Ladybug held up the vial in triumph as Chat pushed himself to stand beside her. "You're cruel," he panted, but smiled at her once he caught his breath. "But you know I love it when you get physical with me, m'lady." He winked. 

Ladybug felt herself blush, but refused to acknowledge that. "Just be glad I've got enough here for all seven potions."  
"Aww," Chat cooed, "Does that mean you won't crawl on top of me next time?"

Ladybug smirked, carefully tipping the vial so that only one drop fell into the potion. "That depends on if you are a good kitten."

A column of glowing green light erupted from the cauldron the moment the tear met the surface of the potion. Ladybug watched Chat's reaction through the light, the glow casting his entire face in green shadows. 

As the light died down, Ladybug began packing up. She pulled out two large jugs, separating the potion into each before handing one over to Chat. "This is for you. I'm going to bake some into macarons for Tikki. Do you know how to make it into cheese?"

Chat played with his jug, making the potion swirl around. "No, but it seems like a fun project for Plagg and I to work on." Ladybug smiled at his enthusiasm. She piled her extra ingredients loosely into the cauldron, taking a marker and labeling the vial with a bold 'CHAT'S TEARS' before placing it inside.

"Alright, kitty cat," Ladybug placed the ingredient list on top of her pile, and read from the top. "Since we need a tear of joy for each, I think there's only two ingredients we need to figure out per potion. For the blue, it's 'blossom of snow' and 'domesticated cicer'. Think you can handle that?"

Chat gave a nervous chuckle. "Piece of cake." He took out his baton. "This time next week for potions class?"

Ladybug nodded. "Sounds good." She waved to Chat as he gave a salute, and launched off the rooftop. Ladybug waited on the opera house, watching his back grow smaller in the distance. Sharing this with Chat made her feel lighter, and more confident in her position as the new guardian. Tikki had already alluded to the idea that she was now in charge and could make up her own rules, but it was easier and more comfortable to just follow along with the guidelines that were in place for her entire time as a superhero. Sharing one secret with Chat helped her feel like she was taking the reins, and shaping the guardianship into her guardianship. 

With a final sigh, Ladybug picked up the cauldron and started toward home.


	2. Blue

When Ladybug landed on the roof of the Palais Garnier a week later, Chat was already there. He was laying on his back, with his eyes closed against the darkening sky, a black backpack sitting next to his head. As Ladybug approached, he cracked one eye open to track her, but didn't move. 

She dropped the cauldron and her supplies next to his bag. "Do you know how easily I could tickle you again in that position?" she asked him.

Chat opened both eyes. "Maybe that's what I want you to do."

Ladybug laughed, sitting beside his head and pulling out the ingredients to start mixing the potion. "I know you do, chaton." She pat him gently on the head, and scratched his cat ear. He nuzzled her hand. 

"I'll take what I can get," he muttered, rolling so that he could watch her without sitting up. They sat together in a comfortable silence, Chat watching as Ladybug added water to the cauldron and began measuring out the different ingredients for the base of the potion. 

It had been a rare week without any akumas, meaning Marinette had more time on her hands to complete her homework, work on some of her designs, and even spend time with her friends. She surprised herself by thinking about Chat more than usual, especially as she puzzled through the ingredients for the blue potion. She wondered if he was working on it at the same time as her, or when he found time in his doubtlessly busy schedule to sneak away and buy possible ingredients. 

"Did you make the cheese?" she finally broke the silence once all the base ingredients were added.

Chat heaved a giant sigh and flopped onto his back. "Oh, my lady, you won't believe it." He threw his arm over his eyes, creating a dramatic picture. "Have you ever made cheese?"

Ladybug laughed. "No, I can honestly say I haven't. Complicated?"

"You don't know the half of it," he moaned. "The website I went on said its 'easy' and 'fun' to make cheese at home. Which, okay, sounds believable. But by the time I got to adding the mold powder and cutting the curds I gave up. I made the mistake of letting Plagg see and now he won't shut up about having his own cheese cave." He uncovered his eyes to look at her. "Which he basically already has, considering I have a whole mini fridge in my room full of camembert."

Ladybug laughed again, mostly at his dramatics, but was a little concerned. "So you couldn't make any? What are you going to do?"

Chat pushed himself up so they were eye-to-eye. "Did you know that when cheese is cold it absorbs liquid?"

"You've got to be kidding me," Ladybug answered.

Chat grinned. "Nope. Maybe it only works with magical liquids, I'm not sure. But I put a slice of camembert in a cup with the potion and left it overnight in the fridge. Checked in the morning and - voila! Green cheese!"

Ladybug shook her head. "I was right; you are a simple, straightforward kind of guy."

"I'm choosing to take that as a compliment," he responded. "Are you ready for some mystery ingredients?"

Ladybug added an extra pinch of salt, and then nodded. "Yes. What have you got?"

Chat unzipped his backpack. "Well, I'm sure you also figured out that 'domesticated cicer' is a chickpea." He pulled out a produce bag filled with the small round legumes. Ladybug held up her matching bag. Chat grinned, and held out his fist for a bump.

"Bien joué!" they chimed. 

Chat turned back to the bag. "In honor of that, I brought snacks." He removed a tub of hummus and popped it open, passing it to Ladybug before reaching back inside. "I didn't know what you like to dip, so I brought options." Ladybug's mouth dropped open as Chat unveiled a tray of raw vegetables and a bag of pita chips. Sometimes, he really did manage to surprise her. She took a baby carrot and dunked it, sticking it in her mouth as she watched Chat pour a couple of chickpeas in the cauldron. It gleamed a bright and vivid blue.

"Now 'blossom of snow' was a bit more of a challenge," Chat continued, taking a celery stick for himself. "My first thought was edelweiss, because, you know, 'blossom of snow may you bloom and grow...'"

"That song was written many years after this recipe, Chat," Ladybug laughed. 

"True," he agreed. "But it's still a white flower. As is a snowdrop." He presented her with two small bouquets of white flowers. 

Ladybug gently ran her finger along one of the petals of a snowdrop. "Don't tell me you went to the mountains to pick some wildflowers," she said.

"Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies," Chat answered. "What do you think?"

"Snowdrops are a good idea. I guess I was thinking of a plant that blooms in the snow and not just the color. Also -" she pulled out a bundle of green and brown hairy plants “- this type of witch-hazel is native to China.”

Chat picked another plain celery stick, which Ladybug noticed was the only thing he had eaten despite bringing a whole spread. “Can I try first?” At Ladybug’s answering nod, Chat plucked one edelweiss out of the bouquet and tossed it into the cauldron. The potion gurgled happily but emitted no light. Chat shrugged and tried the same with one snowdrop. This time a gentle blue smoke curled out of the cauldron, and Chat turned to Ladybug for confirmation. 

She shrugged, unsure. “When Master Fu added a wrong ingredient, it lit up too. I guess we should try this as well.” She handed him the witch-hazel, which he sprinkled into the potion. As soon as it hit the surface, a column of electric blue light blasted toward the sky. 

“Right again, m’lady,” Chat confirmed as the light died down. 

“That was just luck,” Ladybug said, quickly eating a whole cherry tomato before continuing. “I liked your flowers too.”

Chat smiled. “In that case, these are for you.” He presented her with the bouquet of edelweiss, and Ladybug hesitated for a moment before taking them. “Did you know that, according to tradition, giving étoiles des Alpes to a loved one is a promise of dedication?”

Her heart pounding in her chest, Ladybug played with the star shaped flowers to avoid Chat’s eyes. It was getting harder and harder to respond when he was so heartfelt. “You did your research,” she muttered, glancing up at him through her lashes. 

Chat’s smile was soft. “Do you expect anything less?” Suddenly he turned away to rummage through the backpack again. “I have something else for you, actually.” He turned back with a small black velvet box in his hands. He bit down on his lip, looking a little sheepish, before holding it out to her. 

Gently putting her bouquet down to rest next to the cauldron, Ladybug took the box and pried it open. A gasp escaped her. 

“Chat...”

Inside lay a bracelet - clusters of freshwater pearls strung together on a delicate band of gold. 

“Chat,” she repeated, unsure what else she could say. 

He took pity on her. “I felt bad that you spent money on a pearl only to drop it into a magical potion.” He picked up the bracelet between two fingers, and delicately maneuvered his claws to open the clasp. “You deserve to wear something this beautiful.” Ladybug put up no resistance as he wrapped the bracelet around her wrist, securing it tight. 

"Chat," she muttered again, "I can't let you give me something like this." Despite her words, she was clutching her wrist to her chest, almost afraid the bracelet would disappear if she let go. "I'm sure it's way too expensive." 

He shook his head. "You can, and you will," he protested. "It's been ages since I bought you something nice, and you deserve it. I know that becoming the guardian wasn't glamorous, and even if I offer to help you out with things like this -" he gestured to the potion simmering beside them "- the responsibility you have is still a lot. No one else knows about that. So sue me if I want to do a little something to make sure you know I appreciate you."

"I... thank you, Chat," Ladybug finally said, meeting his eyes but quickly dropping her gaze back to the bracelet. Despite Chat's frequent declarations of love and adoration, he had rarely given her such extravagant presents. She normally saw his gestures as heartfelt and thoughtful, but this took it to a whole new level.

Ladybug busied herself with separating the potion, the earlier comfortable silence between them replaced with a heavy, although not entirely unpleasant, tension. "Which color do you want to work on next?" Ladybug finally asked, if only to say something.

Chat rifled through her ingredients before pulling out the recipe. "How about purple?" He glanced up at her to gauge her reaction. Ladybug shrugged in acceptance. "I really want to use that power," Chat continued. "Looks like we've got 'universe in a pebble' and 'elixir of life'. Oh, what if the universe in a pebble is actually cosmic dust?"

Ladybug finally looked up at him, the potion successfully divided into two bottles. "Want me to blast you into space so you can get some?"

Chat stuck his tongue out at her. "I meant like a piece of moon rock."

"Okay, want me to blast you to _the moon_ so you can get some?" Ladybug amended, handing him a bottle. The light from the nearest streetlamp caught on the gold of her bracelet. 

"For your information I already own some moon rock." Ladybug rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide her smile. 

"I told you, I'll try any of the crazy ideas you come up with," she assured him.

"Then get ready, m'lady," Chat said, tucking his bottle under one arm and slinging his backpack over his shoulder, "because these are going to be out of this world!"


	3. Purple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm loving how interactive this story has been with comments! Keep the guesses about ingredients coming, and enjoy the Ladynoir!

Rain fell from the clouds in thick sheets, obscuring Ladybug's visibility. She waited for Chat on their rainy-day rooftop, tucked under an awning to protect herself from the elements. An already prepared potion base sat beside her in the cauldron, awaiting the last ingredients, and Ladybug pushed her back against the wall behind her, her arms crossed, trying to figure out just how to confront Chat when he arrived.

He splashed down a moment later, sending a sprinkling of water in Ladybug's direction. "I should have used an aqua transformation just to get outside today," he quipped, ducking underneath the awning and shaking his head out like a dog. 

Ladybug frowned. "Chat, we need to talk."

Chat looked surprised. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Ladybug echoed, pushing herself away from the wall and approaching him. "What's wrong is what happened this afternoon."

"Oh," Chat said, frowning as well. "You mean the akuma?"

"I mean you taking another hit for me, Chat."

Chat closed his eyes with a sigh. "I knew you would be upset about that."

Ladybug wanted to answer that by asking why he did it if he knew that she would be upset. But she already knew the answer to that question. And yet, the image of Chat being hit by the akuma's power was replaying constantly in her mind. "Of course I'm upset," she settled on, watching him closely to gauge his reaction. "You know how much I hate when you get hurt out there."

"It's not like getting hit by akumas is my idea of a fun time either," Chat answered, his eyes guarded. "But it's part of the job description."

Ladybug turned away to watch the rain fall. "I never liked that excuse."

"It's not an excuse," Chat said, putting one hand on her shoulder and turning her back toward him. "It really is part of the job. We both take hits, but I have to take more." Ladybug opened her mouth to dispute him but he cut her off. "If I didn't, you wouldn't be able to purify the akuma. We've been over this, LB."

And they had been over it, many times before. But no matter how many times they had this discussion, it didn't make Ladybug any happier. 

Chat squeezed her shoulder. "Why don't we work on the ingredients?" Ladybug didn't like him changing the topic like that, but she knew that nothing she said would be able to convince him otherwise. She pulled away from him and sat with her back against the wall. Chat sat down beside her, close but not touching. 

"Did you bring your moon rock?" she asked him, and he smiled in thanks.

"Yes," he confirmed, "but the more I thought about it it doesn't seem likely. Where would they have gotten a piece of moon rock in ancient times? It's more likely that they would be able to get their hands on some meteorite. But what makes a meteorite so special anyway? It's mostly rock, and iron, and nickel. So then I thought iron might be the key; that's something that isn't too hard to get your hands on. Could it be an ordinary pebble? But most of these ingredients have been edible, so it wouldn't really make sense to be a rock." Ladybug watched in wonder as Chat lined up a few items in front of them: a small box with one rock, a small bag of dirt and rocks, and a bag of lentils. 

"Lentils?" she asked.

Chat shrugged. "They're high in iron, and look like pebbles."

"Wow," Ladybug said, "You put a lot of thought into this, didn't you?" 

Chat rubbed the back of his head, looking bashful. "I just want to do this right."

"I had some similar thoughts, but not nearly as in depth," Ladybug said, adding a small bag of marbles to his line.

"Oh, wait," Chat said. "I'm not done!" He dug into his pocket before pulling out another bag. "I did some digging around and found out about these."It's an African fruit called pollia condensata, or a marble berry." The metallic blue berries in the bag were so vivid they didn't look real.

Ladybug picked up the bag and held it up to her eyes. "They're so pretty!"

"Right?" Chat said. "And they are the shiniest natural biological material."

She squeezed one through the bag, and it was rock solid. "Can you eat them?"

Chat scrunched his face. "Not exactly. I mean we can't eat them, but they are the fruit of a plant, so I think it would be okay for the kwamis. After all, people don't usually eat pearls either."

Ladybug nodded, still enthralled with the glimmering blue berries. "Where did you even find these?"

"Don't ask," Chat said, rolling his eyes. "It wasn't easy."

"Did you spend a fortune on these too?" Ladybug asked him.

"Don't question my spending habits, Bug." He took the bag from her hands and added it to the lineup. "What should we try first?"

Ladybug considered the options. "These," she decided, pointing at the pollia condensata, " and the lentils. I think they make the most sense." Chat nodded, and reached forward to sprinkle some lentils into the cauldron. Nothing happened, so he plucked a few of the marble berries out of the bag and dripped them inside. A deep purple haze rose out of the cauldron and swirled around them. 

"Great job, Chat," Ladybug whispered, enthralled by the shimmer of the mist in front of the rainfall. "I never would have figured this one out." She picked up the bag again and looked at the shimmery blue balls. "Universe in a pebble."

Chat was watching her. "Why don't you keep them?"

Ladybug bit her lip. She had no reason to take them, but no real reason to refuse him. Besides, it would be a lie to say she wasn't already inspired to design based on their constellation of colors. "So many presents lately, Chat," she said instead. 

"Not nearly enough," he countered.

Her breath caught in her throat, and Ladybug was unsure how to respond to that. "Um, what about 'elixir of life'?"

Chat waited for a moment in silence, and then shook his head. He turned away from her, looking out at the stormy skies. When it became apparent that he wasn't about to say anything, Ladybug spoke. "Let me show you what I was thinking - "

"No, wait, I've got it!" He jumped up, and hefted the cauldron into his arms. 

"What are you doing?" Ladybug cried, leaping up next to him.

Chat grinned, and despite her confusion Ladybug found it contagious. "It's water! I had a few options that I researched and that made sense but nothing makes as much sense as water."

"Chat, the potion is mostly water already," Ladybug countered.

"But how about a little rain?" With that he stepped backwards and out from underneath the overhang, and into the rain. He was immediately soaked, but was still smiling at her. As soon as the raindrops mixed with the potion it hissed, emitting sparks of light like a supernova explosion. Chat's smile widened. "Told you so."

Ladybug felt her heart swell. She never would have been able to figure this one out if it weren't for him. She debated with herself about whether or not to tell him this, and if it would make his ego grow larger than she could handle. In the end, she decided for a little bit of honesty - after all, he deserved it.

"I'm really impressed, Chat," she told him, as he shook his wet bangs out of his eyes. "You figured this one out without me at all."

Chat winked at her. "I've got to keep reminding you of how much you need me." 

Ladybug laughed. "C'mon, bring it here and I'll split it up," she said, waving him back under the awning. Chat's smile turned sharp.

"No, I don't think I will," he said, rivers of rain running down his suit. "You can come and get it."

Ladybug stretched out her arms toward him. "Chat, don't be silly." He danced out of her reach, waving the cauldron around.

"C'mon, LB, are you afraid of getting a little wet?" Ladybug scowled at him, but after a moment sighed, and dashed into the rain after him. He dodged her, slid the cauldron onto the ground and into shelter, and dashed across the roof. With a growl, Ladybug took off after him, not paying any attention to the now obtainable potion. She chased him across three rooftops, but despite her best efforts she wasn't able to catch up to him. He always was faster than she was.

Coming to rest for a second on their meeting roof, Ladybug tried to catch her breath and realized that she couldn't see Chat anymore through the rain. She rotated slowly, trying to find him, and was suddenly tackled to the side by a flash of black. Chat wrapped his arms around her, catching her before they both fell. Ladybug squealed.

"Chat, stop, you're getting me soaked!"

Chat laughed, the sound bubbling in her ear. "You're already soaked, bugaboo." He nuzzled his head into her neck, making sure his wet mop of hair rubbed against her face. Ladybug scrunched up her face and squirmed away from him, but he held tight. After a moment, he swept her up into his arms and carried her back underneath their shelter, before dropping her unceremoniously onto the rooftop. 

Ladybug tried to scowl at him, but couldn't quite hide her laughter. "You're so childish, chaton," she scolded.

He shook his head out again, spraying her with more water. "You didn't have to chase me," he countered.

Ladybug stuck her tongue out at him, but quickly conjured her lucky charm, which landed in the form of two red and black spotted towels. She tossed one over Chat's head as he sat down beside her. 

They took a few moments to dry off silently, side by side. After a while Ladybug sighed, and shifted so she could rest her head against Chat's shoulder. "Hey, Chat?"

"Hmmm?"

"You know I really don't need reminders of how much I need you," she said softly, answering his comment from before their chase. She felt him lean his chin on the top of her head. "That's what I was so upset about this afternoon. When you get hit like that, it scares me. I know I can't do this without you." She traced a finger down the length of his arm, over the bump of his wrist cuff and outlining his fingers. He captured her hand there, holding it tight in his own, and she didn't try to pull away.

"I'm not going anywhere," he said, his voice almost a whisper. "I promise you that."

Ladybug was glad he couldn't see her face. "Good." She knew that she should split the potions and review the ingredient clues for next time. She needed to go home so that she could dry off properly instead of catch a cold, and hopefully finish her trigonometry worksheet for the next day. Instead, she stayed where she was leaning against Chat, feeling safe and comfortable as they listened to the falling rain tap against the rooftop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just because Ladybug is too distracted to talk about the next ingredients doesn't mean I won't share! Red is up next, with "essence of desire" and "born from the belly of the beast". Things are getting ~hot~ ;)


	4. Red

The sun was starting to set when Chat arrived at their meeting point, streaks of fiery reds and oranges illuminating the Parisian skyline. Ladybug was finishing the base of the potion, adding a sprinkle of Chat's tears and an extra helping of black pepper. 

Ladybug smiled up at Chat. "Hey, Chat," she said as he sat down beside her. He shrugged off his backpack and laid it down at his feet. Ladybug leaned over to take a closer look at it. "Is that a Louis Vuitton?" she asked, eyeing the embossed monogram.

"What?" Chat asked, looking at it. "Oh, yeah."

Ladybug eyed him. "Chat, that bag is a couple thousand euros."

Chat shrugged. "Is it? It was a gift, I don't know the price. I never really use it."

Sometimes Chat said things like this that really made her wonder who he was in his normal life. That kind of nonchalant reaction to a ridiculously expensive designer bag was something she would expect from Chloé, not the silly Chat Noir she knew.

"Should we get started?" Chat looked a little uncomfortable talking about his luxury products, so Ladybug took pity on him.

"Sure," she said, rifling through her non-designer bag. "I took a page out of your book and went on a deep dive into the first ingredient. "'Born from the belly of the beast.' The ingredients seem to somehow make sense to the power that the potion gives, so thinking about fire and heat made me think of volcanoes. Obviously we can't really get magma, but I did find out that these are made of volcanic rock." She pulled out a geode, with bright fuchsia crystals inside. "I always loved these."

"Ooo," Chat said, taking it out of her hand and turning it over and over, "this is cool. I had a similar thought about volcanoes, but thought I overdid the rocks last time. Did you know that moss grows on volcanoes? Apparently it likes acidity." He took a small bag filled with moss out of his backpack. 

"I guess great minds really do think alike, huh?" Ladybug asked. She pinched a piece of moss out of his bag, and tossed it in the cauldron. Steam rose out of it in spirals. Ladybug turned to Chat, who shrugged, and dumped her geode in the potion. It sparked and hissed, a low flame dancing on the surface of the liquid. 

Chat smiled at her. "I guess you got it right this time," he said. 

"I wonder if it needs both in times like these," Ladybug speculated.

"We'll have to try the ingredients the other way around next time," Chat said. "What do you think for my personal favorite so far - 'essence of desire'?"

Ladybug rolled her eyes. "It was a busy week for me personally and I focused my attention on the belly of the beast one... so all I have is this." She held up a square bottle of eau de parfum. Chat looked boggled.

"Adrien, the fragrance?" He sounded appalled.

Ladybug flushed, and slid her hand to cover the large 'G' superimposed on the front. "It doesn't matter what brand, I was just thinking perfume. This just happened to be the only one I had on hand."

Chat looked mildly disgusted as he stared down the bottle in her hands. "You want to pour that in the potion? Do you realize our kwamis have to consume that?"

"It's no worse than _moon rock_ ," Ladybug said, feeling slightly defensive at his derision. 

"That's basically poisoning them."

"It is not," Ladybug shot back, fighting the urge to stamp her foot. "Kwamis can eat things we can't. And besides, I promised to try all of your crazy ideas, why can't we try my crazy idea?"

Chat shrugged, holding his hands up in surrender. "I don't think perfume is crazy. Just... Adrien, the fragrance?"

Ladybug popped the top off and tipped a little into the potion. "It's radiant, carefree, dreamy. I think it's the essence of desire."

Chat rolled his eyes, but sent her a smug smile when nothing happened in reaction to the added perfume. "Guess it didn't work."

Ladybug quickly stowed the bottle out of his sight. "Do you have something better in mind?"

"Well..." Chat looked sheepish, like he was regretting making fun of her idea. "I had a couple of thoughts. Maybe passion fruit seeds. Or..." He trailed off, suddenly looking very shy.

"What is it, Chat?" Ladybug asked. 

"A kiss," Chat whispered.

Ladybug turned to him in confusion. "You want to kiss the potion?"

Chat rubbed his hands over his face. "No, I want to kiss you." Ladybug froze, her heart rate shooting up. She stared at him, and he looked back, before turning away and talking to the skyline. "I was thinking about the essence of desire, and what that could mean that was the same in ancient times. And desires change as society changes. You know, advancements in technology and jobs and all of that changes what people want in life. But I think that the desire for love and affection has always been there. That's something universal." Chat was talking so fast he was tripping over his words. Ladybug was still trying to process her reaction to his words. "And you've kissed me before to do something magical." He shrugged, turning back to look at her. "Never mind, forget I said anything. It was a crazy idea. Let's try the passion fruit."

Ladybug finally shook herself out of her shock. "No, Chat. I said every crazy idea."

This time Chat looked shocked. "What?"

"You let me pour in some Adrien, the fragrance." Ladybug approached him, walking until she was standing right in front of him. His pupils were dilated, round and looking less cat-like than usual. "You never know what might work." Chat looked slightly terrified, but mostly hopeful. "Oh, kitty cat, come here."

She wrapped an arm around his neck, raised up onto her toes, and kissed him. Chat was slow to respond, and Ladybug began doubting herself, drawing away a little. At her movement, Chat reached forward, pushing their lips together again and placing one hand gently on her hip. Ladybug slid her hand from the back of his neck to his hair, letting the strands tangle around her fingers. Her other hand landed on his upper arm, and she tried not to think too much about how solid he felt, and how she could feel the muscles in his bicep flex as he pulled her a hair closer. She tried not to think too much about the heat that pooled in her stomach, or how her head was feeling woozy, or how softly and gently Chat was kissing her, despite his usual bravado.

Ladybug sank back down to her regular height, letting their lips disconnect. Chat looked at her, his eyes bright with an unnamed emotion. Ladybug, despite herself, felt a little dazzled.

They stood in silence for a moment. "Damn, I guess it didn't work," he murmured softly.

Ladybug took a deep breath in a vain attempt to calm her pounding heart. As hard as she tried, she couldn't seem to bring herself to look away from him, her eyes roaming between his mouth, the light flush peeking out from under his mask, and the steady rise and fall of his chest. "Don't be so sure about that," she muttered under her breath.

"What?" Chat asked, and Ladybug shook her head, not wanting to answer his question.

"Um... try the passion fruit," she said, realizing she was still holding onto his arm, and dropping her hand to her side. Chat gave her one last searching gaze before turning away. Ladybug quickly fanned her burning face with one hand while his back was turned. 

Chat took a whole passionfruit out of his bag, and ran one claw through the skin to bust it open. He plucked out a few seeds and tossed them into the cauldron.

A flame crackled to life from the potion, gleaming in the twilight and illuminating the rooftop around them. Ladybug looked away from the flame to see that Chat was already looking back at her, the reflection of the fire dancing in his eyes. She felt lightheaded again, and wretched her eyes away as the flame died out. 

Feeling flustered, unsure, and very confused about her feelings, Ladybug hurriedly ladled the potion into their two bottles, acutely aware of Chat's presence behind her. "Um... work good," she said, capping the bottles. "I mean, good work. With the passion fruit." Screaming at herself for messing up her words, Ladybug held out the bottle to Chat. His fingers brushed against hers as he took it, and she shivered, feeling like a bolt of electricity was blasting up her arm. "I've got to go," she spat out, throwing her bag and bottle of Adrien, the fragrance into the cauldron. 

"Ladybug," Chat started, but she didn't give him a chance to finish the sentence. 

"Sorry, Chat, I think I left my bathtub running. It'll flood!" With that, she grabbed her things and launched herself off the roof, unable to shake the feeling that Chat was watching her run away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will admit the passion fruit is a bit of a cop-out when it comes to explaining the ingredients, but my other main option was an apple (original sin). I thought that was a little too biblical for Chinese lore, but it turns out passion fruit is named that way because of Jesus (who knew!) So apparently all my thoughts had to do with the bible, but I went with passionfruit because of its relevance to this show. :)
> 
> Next chapter is a little different, so no ingredients to guess yet!


	5. Interlude - Chemistry Class

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess who had to google how Bunsen burners work because she hasn't been in a chemistry class for 10 years

Marinette couldn't focus. She knew that she should be paying closer attention to Mlle. Mendeleiev as she explained their lab, but her mind insisted on thinking only about Chat. About the way his lips felt against hers, the strength in his muscles she could feel when she touched him, and the woozy feeling he gave her the night before. She felt herself flush and tried to suppress it. Chemistry class was not the place for these thoughts.

Alya prodded her, and Marinette blinked, realizing that the rest of her classmates were standing up and moving to their lab tables. She grabbed her notebook and tablet and followed Alya to their bench. Alya pulled Nino over to sit next to her, leaving Marinette to sink into the stool next to Adrien. He smiled at her, and she tried to force her face into a regular smile back. 

“Can someone explain to me what we’re supposed to be doing?” Marinette asked. Her friends laughed. 

“Did you really not hear anything she told us?” Alya asked, shaking her head. “What could possibly be so distracting, Marinette?” She inclined her head to the side and winked. 

Marinette suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. However, it was much easier for Alya to believe that she was distracted all day thinking about Adrien, than knowing the truth. 

“I’ve just got a lot on my mind,” she mumbled, fiddling with her pen. 

“Don’t worry, Marinette,” Adrien said, and she raised her head to look at him. His eyes were bright. “I’ll help you out.”

“Thanks, Adrien,” Marinette answered, blushing despite herself. Across the table, Alya gave an overly dramatic sigh, like a romance heroine, but fortunately Adrien didn’t seem to notice. 

The reality was, things had been a little awkward between her and Adrien lately. Despite the easy friendship they had managed to develop, Marinette had pulled away after the disastrous events - for both Marinette and Ladybug - that led to her becoming guardian. It was obvious to her that Adrien was not interested in anything more than friendship from her, and once the kwamis were passed into her care, she realized she had little time or energy to worry about romance. 

Of course it would be Chat who smashed that to bits with one kiss.

It wasn't just romance that was on her mind now, or replaying thoughts of the kiss that they shared. Instead, she was thinking about how serious he was in helping her with this task, even as he made jokes and played around. She was thinking about the étoiles des Alpes he gave her, and how he proclaimed that it showed his dedication. Dedicated really was a good word to describe him.

But unfortunately, she was losing focus again, and had missed everyone lighting their Bunsen burners. Adrien had already turned theirs on; Marinette scrambled to snap her goggles on. The bright orange safety flame reminded her of the night before - of the flame emerging from the cauldron and the look in Chat's eyes.

Adrien swiveled the knob to create a barely visible blue flame. "We're testing the reactions of different elements to heat," Adrien told her, gesturing to the row of test tubes displayed on the lab desk before them. He adjusted the goggles on his nose and picked up the tongs. "Want to go first or should I?" he asked. 

"You, definitely." Marientte watched as he lifted out the first vial, and held it on an angle over the flame. 

Watching Adrien, with the electric blue flame roaring between them, felt oddly familiar. He was intently focused on the tongs in his hand, and she suddenly had the impossible image of Chat from the night before, watching her intently as the flame danced between them.

“Do you want to try, Marinette?” Adrien was holding the tongs out to her. 

Marinette pushed up the sleeves of her bulky sweater so that they were over her elbows and out of the danger of catching fire. 

“Ooooo, that’s pretty!” Alya cooed, and Marinette froze with her arm outstretched, about to take the clamp from Adrien’s hand. Alya was pointing at her wrist. “I’ve never seen that before.”

Marinette felt everyone’s eyes go to her wrist, and she joined them in looking down at the pearl bracelet hanging delicately there. 

After Chat had given it to her, Marinette stashed the bracelet in the bottom of her jewelry box, unsure how she would ever explain its existence to her parents, and positive that she would not be wearing it anytime soon. 

However, after a sleepless night of tossing and turning and thinking about Chat, she had dug it out, and couldn’t help but want to wear it to school.

"Oh, yeah," Marinette said when she realized everyone was still looking at her wrist. "It usually lives in my jewelry box but I decided to put it on today." She drew one finger over the pearls, feeling the bump of each stone.

"Well, it's gorgeous," Alya said.

Marinette looked up and smiled at her, and then turned toward Adrien. His eyes were wide and still fixated on her bracelet, but when he sensed her gaze he looked up. His eyes were glassy behind his goggles, and as she watched, a tear rolled down his face. 

"Adrien, are you okay?" 

He blinked rapidly, whipping off his goggles to rub at his eyes. "I'm fine," he mumbled.

"Dude, are you crying?" Nino asked.

Adrien shook his head, a flush on his face, probably from the attention. "I'm okay. Just got a little overwhelmed for a second."

Alya raised an eyebrow. "By boiling hydrogen peroxide?" she asked. "Or Marinette's bracelet?"

Adrien bit his lip, his eyes darting between their faces, and then down to Marientte's wrist. She self consciously pulled her sleeve back down to cover the bracelet. "It's not that... I just realized something and..." he trailed off, looking sheepish. "Sometimes when I get really happy it comes out that way. Sorry."

"Please don't apologize, Adrien," Marinette said, fighting through her own terror to place her hand on his forearm. "You should never have to apologize for your feelings." Adrien was staring down at her hand in shock, and she had to fight against all of her instincts not to snatch her hand back. Just as she was about to let go, he lay his hand over hers, trapping it there.

"I... thanks, Marinette," he whispered. He was finally making eye contact with her, and the blush still stained his cheeks. Marinette knew that she was blushing, but _why was he blushing_ , and she found it hard to look at him but harder to look away. Somewhere a million miles away but right across the lab bench, Alya and Nino were struggling to contain their laughter. 

"This is not the time for chit-chat!" Mlle. Mendeleiev's voice boomed through the haze clouding Marinette's mind, and she was harshly reminded that they were in the middle of class. She scooted back on her stool, her face burning even hotter than before, and moved so that there was a respectable distance between her and Adrien. 

She snuck a glance at him, only to notice that he was sneaking a glance back at her. She turned to stare at the blue flame of the Bunsen burner. 

Adrien started working on the experiment again, seemingly forgetting that he had just offered her a turn. She was glad though, because with the way she was shaking she would probably end up setting the whole classroom on fire. Alya winked at her from across the way, and Marientte had to fight hard against the urge to bury her head in her arms and hide from the world.

"Um... Marinette?" Adrien's voice was tentative, and she tilted her head to the side to peek at him. "Do you want to write down the data?" 

Marinette nodded rapidly, fumbling her pen and almost sliding completely off her stool before catching it. She tried not to think about what just happened with Adrien, or the curious and oddly hopeful looks he kept shooting her. But all she was able to achieve was to switch her thoughts from Adrien to Chat Noir, and it was images of Chat from the night before that swam in her mind as she marked down how long it took for the hydrogen peroxide to come to a boil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no, was that a one-sided reveal?!? 
> 
> Spoilers for season 4 showed SPACE SUITS!!! Do you think we'll find out if my ingredients are correct??
> 
> Next chapter is orange (if a little unconventional) - any ideas what that power-up might be for? I honestly have no clue, so I went with a poisonous theme: 'poison you can eat' and 'sweetens the sting.'


	6. Orange

"Hey, Chat," Ladybug spoke into her yoyo, "I thought maybe we could do a foot patrol today, especially since I didn't remember to tell you the ingredients for the next potion. Maybe we can figure it out together and find stuff as we patrol? I'm at L'Arc de Triomphe, come meet me here." She ended the message and disconnected the call, waving to a group of tourists below her taking pictures. 

She only waited for a few minutes before Chat came into view, bouncing along the rooftops of Avenue de Friedland. He landed in front of her with a theatrical bow, but there was a serious expression on his face when he straightened up.

"Ladybug, there's something we need to talk about," he began, but Ladybug cut him off.

"Can we not?" She asked quickly. Spotting the insulted look on his face, she continued. "I know things happened," she said, watching as Chat's mask moved up like he was raising one eyebrow. "And we definitely should talk. That's the mature thing to do. But I'm just not ready for that kind of... mature conversation right now." She looked at him, her eyes pleading. "So maybe we can put off that conversation. Just a little bit?"

Chat seemed unsure, and turned away from her to look at the tourists posing for pictures at the base of the monument. "I would never force anything on you," he finally said, his expression guarded. "But I also think you would be upset if we don't talk about this."

Ladybug sighed. He knew her too well. "I _do_ want to talk about it, Chat," she assured him. "Can you give me a week?"

Chat smiled, a little sad, but genuine. "I can give you whatever you ask of me, m'lady."

Reassured by his candor, Ladybug hopped off the monument, landing on the street below them. Chat quickly followed. "What I ask of you right now is some help with the orange ingredients."

"Lay it on me," Chat said, falling into step beside her as they made their way back up Avenue de Friedland the way he had come. 

"The first one is 'sweetens the sting.' I think it's honey."

Chat nodded, "That makes sense. What else do we have?"

"'A poision you can eat.'"

"Hmmm... poisons," Chat rubbed his chin as they walked. "Arsenic, cyanide, carbon monoxide -"

Ladybug laughed. "Okay, Inspector Poirot, I'm not asking for ways to murder someone! You can't eat those!"

"Alright," Chat acquiesced. "Let's get more practical." They skirted around some outdoor seating at a restaurant, ignoring the looks from the patrons. "Lead? Mercury? Mercury is in fish, like canned tuna! Maybe that's it?"

"So you think the secret ingredient is tuna?" Ladybug asked, secretly fascinated by Chat's thought process. Despite his usual jokes and levity, he was really taking this seriously, proving how committed he was to helping her. "I was thinking more along the lines of poppy seeds."

Chat turned to her, his eyes slightly narrowed in thought. "Poppy seeds? Opium isn't a poison though, it's a drug. I didn't know we could include drugs."

Ladybug tugged on Chat's arm to stop him from tumbling down the stairs of a metro station. "It's a riddle, Chat. Most of them aren't meant to be taken literally." She let her hand linger on his arm for a fraction of a second longer than necessary.

"Okay, in that case, I vote for hallucinogens," Chat said decisively. 

"Chat!" Ladybug laughed, but tried to bite down on her amusement; she had been especially giggly with Chat tonight, and didn't want to think too hard about the reasons why.

"What's wrong with that?" Chat asked. "Fungi. Some mushrooms are poisonous, some aren't."

"If we're talking fungi, there's also yeast," Ladybug said, "and mold."

"Brie?" Chat asked. "Bleu cheese?"

"Plagg would love that," Ladybug pointed out.

Chat laughed this time. "Think how mad he would be if I bought cheese for a purpose other than feeding him. So, we have too many options? Maybe we could -"

"Maman, look! It's Chat Noir!"

A little girl with a mop of unruly curls came running at them, crashing into Chat's legs and hugging him tight around the knees. Ladybug let out an involuntary squeal at how cute the picture was, part of her wishing she had the same courage as this tiny girl, who knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to grab it.

Chat smiled at her before patting the girl gently on the head, loosening her grip and squatting down on the balls of his feet. "Well, hello there," Chat said, his voice soft and friendly. "What's your name?"

"Eloise," the girl smiled, dimples appearing in her cheeks.

"It's very nice to meet you, Eloise," Chat answered, shaking her hand seriously.

Eloise's grin grew wider. "What are you doing, Chat Noir? Saving the day?"

Chat leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Ladybug and I are on a secret mission. You can't tell anyone you've seen us. Think you can help us out with that?" Eloise's eyes grew wide, and she nodded quickly.

A woman who was clearly Eloise's mother finally caught up with them. "I'm so sorry," she said, grabbing Eloise's free hand, the other one still clutching onto Chat's. "She's a huge fan."

"It's not a problem at all," Ladybug answered, as Chat was still whispering with his new friend. "We love meeting fans, particularly adorable ones like Eloise."

"Do you want to say hi to Ladybug?" Chat asked Eloise, who looked up at Ladybug with a skeptical expression. 

Eloise's mother flushed. "Say hi to Ladybug, Eloise," she commanded, and Eloise waved quickly before turning back to hug Chat's legs. "Sorry again," her mother said, turning to Ladybug, "but she's a little obsessed with Chat Noir. We own _all_ of the merchandise."

"Really?" Chat grinned. "Do you have my action figure?" Eloise nodded.

Ladybug squatted down next to Eloise, determined to win her favor. "Want to know a secret?" she asked, continuing before Eloise could turn her down. "Chat likes to play with the action figures too, sometimes."

"Ladybug!" Chat exclaimed, pretending to be outraged. "I told you that in confidence!"

Eloise laughed, and Ladybug counted it as a victory. "Do you want to take a picture for your collection?" she asked, and Eloise nodded. Her mother took out her phone. 

"Why don't you get in there too, Ladybug," she said, but Ladybug shook her head. 

"That's not what she wants." Chat had moved to a new position, so that he could perch Eloise on his knee, leaving their heads at the same height to take the picture. They smiled in tandem as Eloise's mother snapped the photo, and with one last hug Eloise and her mother left, and Chat and Ladybug started off again in the opposite direction. 

"That was cute," Ladybug said, breaking the easy silence between them.

"Eloise? Yeah, she was adorable."

Ladybug bit her lip, considering her next words, but decided to say them anyway. "Yeah, she was, but I meant you." Chat turned to look at her sharply. "You're really good with kids." Chat seemed to be considering the meaning behind her words before answering. 

"I really like kids," he said. "They're usually more genuine than adults." Ladybug smiled at him, and they walked together in silence for a moment more. Suddenly, Chat bumped her with his hip. "You weren't jealous that she liked me more than you?"

Ladybug laughed. "Do you want me to be jealous of a three-year-old?" she asked. "Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not." She considered her words again, but decided that she liked this new honest approach to talking with Chat. "Besides, she has good taste."

Chat beamed, and Ladybug really couldn't bring herself to regret giving him praise. "Do you have any of my merchandise, LB?"

Ladybug looked up at him from the corner of her eyes. "Come on, Chat, a girl's gotta have some secrets. Besides, I thought we were here to figure out some ingredients."

"That's right," Chat answered, steering her across the street and into a Franprix. "Let's go grocery shopping."

"Chat, this definitely isn't necessary," Ladybug said, watching as Chat grabbed a handbasket and walked toward the produce, ignoring the curious looks from the shoppers. 

"We need one of everything we thought of. Mushrooms, poppy seeds, brie, yeast..."

"Don't bother with the poppy seeds, I already have them." Ladybug interrupted, as Chat approached the loose mushrooms and picked up a large round portobello. "And I don't need yeast, I can get that at home."

"Oh, sure, that makes sense," Chat murmured, holding up two mushrooms to compare the size.

Ladybug tilted her head in confusion. "It makes sense that I have yeast?"

"Uh..." Chat dropped one mushroom in his basket before looking her her, but quickly looking away. "Isn't yeast a common kitchen staple? Everyone has yeast. It's not like you have to live in a bakery to have yeast. Not that you live in a bakery. I'm sure you live in a house, just like any other. Just one that has yeast."

Ladybug felt her heart rate increase, a strange pounding erupting in her temples. There was no way that Chat could possibly know that she actually lived in a bakery. He looked uncomfortable, eyes peeking at her and quickly darting away. There had to be another reason he was acting like this; he couldn't _possibly_ know. "Chat Noir..."

"Chat Noir!"

Ladybug turned, expecting to see another cutie like Eloise - anxious to meet a superhero, but came face to face with a girl around her age, maybe a year or two older. The girl spared her a glance before turning her full attention to Chat. "I can't believe I'm finally meeting you!" she squealed. 

Chat, much to Ladybug's chagrin, looked grateful for the interruption. "Hello," he said kindly, smiling at the girl. "It's nice to meet you."

The girl pushed past Ladybug, wrapping her hands around Chat's bicep like a vice. "I'm Ioanna. You have to understand, Chat Noir, I'm your _biggest_ fan."  


Ladybug fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Let me guess," she said, "you own all of his merchandise?"

Ioanna shot her a dirty look before turning back to Chat, clutching his arm even tighter. "I certainly do. Actually, I spend every night with my face pressed up against my Chat Noir pillowcase."

Ladybug couldn't suppress her eye roll this time, but Chat grinned.

"Really?" he asked, his eyes darting to Ladybug as if trying to gauge her reaction. "I didn't even know they made those."

"Oh yes," Ioanna replied. "It makes me feel so safe knowing that when lying in bed, you are right there underneath me."

"Well, it is my job to make sure the citizens of Paris feel safe." Chat winked.

Despite her best objections, Ladybug felt the hot and corrosive flames of jealously erupt inside her. He had kissed her last week, actually _kissed_ her, and was even prepared to have a serious conversation about their relationship, but here he was flirting with a stranger who was basically admitting to doing untoward things with a pillowcase!

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but we are still on the job, Chat." Ladybug attached herself to Chat's other arm and tugged, the basket swinging wildly between them. "We have to find some arsenic, remember?"

Chat looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh, and wasn't succeeding. "I thought you'd vetoed that one."

"I'm reassessing," Ladybug said, narrowing her eyes at Ioanna. 

Chat gently detangled his arm from Ioanna's grip. "Sorry, but m'lady is right. We have some serious work to get done tonight."

Ioanna pouted. "What a shame. Well, I hope I run into some other time. When we can have more of a chance to talk." With one more long look at Chat, she turned on her heel and marched away. Chat turned to Ladybug with a smug grin, leaning in and invading her space.

"Getting territorial, LB? I thought that was my role."

Ladybug scowled, pushing him away with one finger to the tip of his nose. "Go buy me some bleu cheese."

Chat laughed, warm and clear, and Ladybug pushed past him toward the dairy case, purposefully turning so that Chat could not see the blush on her cheeks, or the smile she couldn't quite contain. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter got away from me. Much like Chat, I have no idea what happened. 
> 
> Yellow is next - I chose electricity as my theme: 'lightning in a bottle' and 'a needle's crown'.


	7. Yellow

Chat was already waiting for her when she arrived on their rooftop, and he watched silently as she began setting up her supplies. Ladybug knew that he was going to try and talk to her, after she had practically begged him to give her some extra time the last time they met.

"How have you been, LB?" Chat broke the silence as she was adding the tears of joy. 

Ladybug shrugged one shoulder. "A lot of the usual, I guess. Lots of schoolwork, akuma interrupted me in the middle of my shift at... my job. You?"

"The usual," Chat echoed, turning to look at her. "Is it time for that serious conversation yet?" 

Ladybug sighed. "I guess so." She capped the vial of tears before putting it away and turning away from the cauldron. She had prepared what she was going to say before coming, practicing with Tikki and writing notes on index cards. "I'm sorry I didn't want to talk last week, but I just needed more time to think about everything." They were sitting face to face, and Chat smiled at her, gentle and sincere. 

"I know that - "

"Chat, wait," Ladybug interrupted him, holding her hand up. "I'll let you speak but I know that you might have different expectations for what this means for us than I do... and... I don't want to lead you on or make you believe that there's more to come." She watched as Chat's earnest expression darkened, as if a thundercloud had passed over him. "Yes, we kissed." Chat's mask shifted as if he raised one eyebrow. "Okay, I kissed you. Because you asked me to. And it was for _magic _reasons, not _romance_ reasons." Her hands were gesturing wildly, and she tucked them under her arms to control them, wishing she had brought the index cards along. Her words continued spilling out before Chat had a chance to respond. "And we've had that conversation before, and I know that you always want it to be romance but I just can't do that. Not right now, and definitely not while we have to keep so many secrets between us."__

__"What if there weren't so many secrets?" Chat interrupted before she could finish the next part of her speech._ _

__Ladybug rubbed a hand over her eyes. "Oh, Chat, we've been over this." She turned away from him so she didn't have to see the disappointment in his eyes. "Being superheroes doesn't leave room for anything but keeping secrets. We don't have the freedom to share our personal lives."_ _

__Chat heaved a huge sigh, and Ladybug finally turned back to him. She could see the frustration written on his face. "But what if something happens, Ladybug? And we don't have that option anymore."_ _

__"What are you talking about?" Ladybug asked, feeling her own hackles rise. She hated having this conversation with Chat, but it seemed like he was always going to be pushing her boundaries. Although, as much as she hated to admit it, he pushed her boundaries in the ways that made her stronger, but this was not something that she was ever going to be able to say gently. "You know that when I talk about how there can't be more between us, it's not about you personally, Chat. It's about how we have to have our eyes on something bigger than ourselves."_ _

__"It's not you, it's the rest of the world?" Chat asked, his tone bitter._ _

__"Basically." Ladybug bit her lip and turned away, not wanting to make eye contact with him anymore._ _

__Chat let the moment rest between them before talking again. "But, Ladybug, there's still something I feel like I need to tell you."_ _

__"Chat, can we make this potion?"_ _

__Chat looked at her for a long moment, but Ladybug refused to turn her head and receive his gaze. She could feel the heat in her cheeks from his intense stare, but refused to give in. Finally, he gave up, a puff of air escaping his lips and his entire body sagging in defeat._ _

__"A needles's crown, right?" he asked, and Ladybug turned back to him in relief._ _

__"Yes," she said, "I was thinking about cactus, so I brought a prickly pear." She held up the small, reddish-purple fruit. "It grows on the top of a cactus paddle."_ _

__Chat nodded "That's good thinking. Here's what I've got." He was noticeably lackluster as he pulled items out of his backpack, but Ladybug didn't comment. "Don't worry, it's not for you," he said as he handed her a beautiful red rose. "I thought the petals might be it because they're on top of the thorns."_ _

__Ladybug spun the long stemmed rose in her hand, watching as the rich red petals fluttered in the wind she was creating. She thought about the red rose he had given her one moonlit night, currently dried and pressed between the pages of her diary, and the pink rose he had brought to her as Marinette, pressed beside the first. Fighting against her own oppressive melancholy, Ladybug tossed her prickly pear into the cauldron. The potion lay flat, with no reaction at all. She plucked a single petal from the rose. _He loves me a little_ , she thought glumly, and together, she and Chat watched as it floated to rest on the surface of the potion. It lay there for a moment, before the liquid around it fizzled and dissolved it, emitting neon yellow sparks._ _

__"Good one," Ladybug said. She surreptitiously placed the rose on the rooftop, right against her bag, hoping that Chat wouldn't notice that she wasn't planning on parting with it. "What about lightning in a bottle?"_ _

__While Chat rummaged around in his bag, Ladybug took out her two guesses: a bottle of café noir, and a can of Redbull. When Chat looked up, he gave a dry chuckle at her options, holding something small and round in his hand._ _

__"I figured bottled caffeine is the closest thing to bottled lightning we have. Not something they had in ancient times, but..." Ladybug shrugged._ _

__Chat mimicked her shrug, and Ladybug struggled to suppress how disappointed she was that he was so hurt by her earlier proclamation. "Still a good guess. Here," he held out his hand, palm outstretched, and Ladybug was forced to take the little golden bead from his hand. "It's amber," he said by way of explanation. "Fossilized tree resin. It can bear a charge of static electricity, and a bunch of cultures believe it has healing powers."_ _

__Ladybug turned the amber over and over in her hand, looking at the small imperfections and pieces of prehistoric nature trapped inside._ _

__"I like it," she finally said, before throwing it unceremoniously into the cauldron. The potion hissed and sparked, glowing with an unnatural yellow light. "Looks like you got it again," she said, trying to sound upbeat, as she added a splash of her two drinks just to make sure. Without any reaction from the potion, she assumed that Chat's ingredients had done the trick._ _

__They sat in stony silence as Ladybug divided the potion into two and cleaned up the ingredients. Chat either didn't notice or chose not to comment on how she slid the rose into her bag._ _

__"So," she said softly, handing him his bottle of potion. "Pink's the last one. We've got: 'Leizu's find' and 'hairs from the dragon's beard.'" She scrunched up her nose at the complicated riddle._ _

__Chat nodded slowly, tucking away the bottle and standing along with her. "Got it. By the way..." he looked to the side, as if steeling himself for something difficult, before turning back to her. "I'm glad you like the amber, because I got this for you."_ _

__From behind his back he revealed a necklace, and he placed it in her hands. It was simple: a chain of round balls, not dissimilar in shape to pearls, smooth and shiny. Ladybug let it drape across her fingers, wishing she could feel the texture through her gloves._ _

__"Maybe you should wear it to school, like you did with the bracelet I got you."_ _

__Ladybug snapped her head up, to see Chat's guarded expression. She felt like she couldn't have really understood what he said._ _

__"What does that mean?" she asked, her voice soft. "How do you know I wore the bracelet to school?"_ _

__Chat reached for the hand that wasn't holding the necklace. "Because I saw it," he answered, bringing her hand up to his lips and pressing a soft kiss to the back of it.  
__

__Ladybug's jaw dropped as he dropped her hand, and her arm swung to hang uselessly by her side._ _

__"You... saw?" Chat nodded, picking up his backpack and swinging it over one shoulder. "But that means you..."_ _

__"Know who you are?" Chat filled in. "Yeah, Marinette, I do."_ _

__"B-b-but..." she stuttered, watching as he prepared to leave. "You're going?"_ _

__Chat laughed, but without any real humor. "I thought you'd appreciate some time to think about it. You know how to reach me." With that, he dropped off the side of the building, leaving Ladybug to reign in her wild thoughts._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drama? Who asked for that? (Not me, but I wrote this chapter last night so it just happened ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯)
> 
> One chapter left!


	8. Pink

The sky was streaked with the warm pinks and purples of sunset when Ladybug landed on the rooftop of Le Palais Garnier, to find that Chat had once again beaten her there. He sat cross legged on the roof as she began preparing the potion, and as much as Ladybug could see that he was trying to look causal, she could sense his nervousness. She could feel her own leg jumping in anticipation. By the time she was adding the tears of joy, she couldn't take the silence anymore. "Aren't we going to talk?" she asked.

Chat shrugged, his eyes trained on la Tour Eiffel in the distance, resolutely not looking at her. "If that's what you want. I've already told you what I needed to say."

Ladybug considered it. She had many long conversations with Tikki throughout the week, which ultimately resulted in the kwami reminding her that, as the guardian, it was within her power to decide whether or not she wanted to further this discussion about identities. Although with hers out the of bag, she really felt that it wasn't her decision to do the next part of any reveal.

"We're doing pink today," she said by way of conversation. She fiddled with the now empty vial that was still labeled 'CHAT'S TEARS'. "Did you know that's my favorite color?"

Chat turned sharply to face her, his eyes confused. "I... yes, actually I did." He studied her closely, waiting for her to crack. "Even if you don't usually share things like that."

Ladybug smiled slightly to mask her nerves. "I figured since you already know who I am, I might as well let you know some things about me." 

"So..." Chat drew out the word, "you aren't upset that I know your identity?" Chat asked, tilting his head to the side. "You've always been the one who was more stalwart about keeping our personal lives separate."

"Yes," Ladybug acquiesced. "But I was also the one who slipped up. You recognizing the bracelet you bought for me isn't anyone's fault, but if I wanted to be more cautious about who I am, I should never have worn it in public." Chat took a moment to absorb that, slowly nodding in agreement.

"And, don't you..." he looked nervous, "don't you want to know who I am?"

Ladybug reached forward and laid her hand on his arm. She could feel how tense his muscles were underneath his suit. "Chat, if you want to tell me who you are, you can. But I'm not going to force you to."

He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, as if unsure if he would even be able to respond. "Why aren't you freaking out about this?" he finally settled on. "Your reaction is really throwing me off."

Ladybug laughed, finally feeling some of the pressure that had been sitting on her shoulders drift away. "Oh, trust me, I've had a weeks worth of freaking out! You can check with Tikki if you don't believe me."

"I believe you," he said, his voice soft. “I thought you’d be mad at how I told you last time.”

Ladybug sighed. “Chat, I haven’t been fair to you. You’ve been so patient with me while I... I don’t know - make a mess of everything.”

“I know you’re under a lot of pressure,” Chat rushed to say. “You aren’t making a mess of anything.”

Ladybug didn’t agree with him, but felt it was best not to focus on that too much. “You gave me time and space when you knew I would need it. You’ve always been so respectful of my needs, Chat. I could never be mad at you for that.”

He didn’t seem quite sure how to respond to that and the silence settled around them again. The pinks of the sunset were darkening into mauves, twilight blue beginning to take over the sky.

"Did you try to figure out who I am?" Chat finally asked, tentative and unsure. 

Ladybug studied his face. "I definitely thought about it," she admitted. "Came to some conclusions that range from improbable to impossible."

“Care to share?”

Ladybug considered. “I don’t know. I... found myself thinking you could be someone but...” She looked at him, his expression slightly wary. His bright green eyes, artfully tousled blonde hair, high chiseled cheekbones. “But I don’t want to get my hopes up, and it’s not fair to you if I’m hoping that you are someone and you aren’t.”

“And if I am who you want me to be?”

Chat obviously wanted her to guess his identity, but she felt that would give him too much of the upper hand. 

“Well, I guess only you can confirm that.”

Chat smiled slightly, but didn’t say anything. She worried that he was thrown by her admission that she had hoped he was someone, but she was through with lying to him. Instead of continuing the conversation, she pulled a plastic wrapped bundle of pink spun sugar out of her bag. 

"Barbe à papa!” Chat’s eyes gleamed like a five year old staying up past bedtime. “But I guess I should say barbe à dragon," he amended. “I’ve always wanted to try it,” he said his voice hopeful. 

Ladybug held it out to him, and he reached into the plastic, pinching a small piece, and pulling it apart with his claws before putting it in his mouth. She watched as he let it melt and crinkled her nose. "This stuff is too sweet." 

“You know,” Chat said, his voice somewhat muffled by the cotton candy in his mouth, “I should have guessed you live in a bakery long ago. You’re always so critical of sweets.”

“I’m not critical!” Ladybug cried. “Just... discerning. It’s not my fault I have a refined palate for desserts.”

Chat laughed. “You’re right, it’s very sweet.” That didn’t stop him from grabbing another piece before she could add it to the potion. A pale pink cloud rose over the cauldron, shimmering as if it was dusted with glitter. “But I hardly ever get to eat sweets, so I’ll take anything.”

Ladybug glanced at him, her heart speeding up. “You know that’s pretty identity revealing for someone who doesn’t want me to know.”

“Who said I don’t want you to know?” 

“I mean... you haven’t said anything.” She tried not to look too hopeful; after all, she had told him it was his decision if he wanted to share. 

Chat’s eyes narrowed, and he studied her as if trying to read her thoughts. As much as she tried to deny it to him and to herself, she desperately wanted him to reveal himself, and desperately wanted him to be Adrien. She felt terrible for even thinking it, because Chat Noir was an amazing person no matter who he was underneath his mask. She also felt terrified, because she had no idea what he really thought about her being Marinette. He hadn’t been treating her any differently than he normally would, and seemed happy enough the last few times she saw him, but he had time to process and mask his reaction to her identity. 

He finally broke eye contact, and unzipped his ridiculous designer backpack. “I also brought candy floss, but since you don’t need it I’m keeping it for myself.” Ladybug could have screamed at him for changing the subject again, and his little smirk told her he knew she was getting frustrated and loved it. “And Leizu’s find is silk, which I’m sure you know. So, here.”

He handed her an emerald green tie.

She looked down at it, her thoughts finally clicking into place. Her fingers gently touched the soft fabric, and she flipped it over to see the large embossed G on the tag. Even though this basically turned her world upside down, she felt oddly calm. “Not many people I know can afford a Gabriel brand tie, Chat. Unless you’re Chloé Bourgeois.”

He grinned. “Definitely not Chloé. I also didn’t buy it.” He was practically vibrating with excitement. 

“I guess you don’t have to buy it when your father owns the company,” Ladybug answered, not even looking at the potion as she dropped the tie inside. Something bright and pink and magical was happening there, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from Chat, whose grin was about to split his face. 

“No, you don’t,” he confirmed. “It’s about the only perk though.”

Unable to hold herself back anymore, Ladybug launched herself at him, knocking him backwards as she tackled him in a hug. It was incredibly uncomfortable: Chat’s legs were still crossed underneath her, the rooftop was slanted so that the blood was starting to rush to her head. But he wrapped his arms tight around her waist and pulled her against his chest and she couldn't find it in herself to care. 

“I guess I’m who you wanted me to be?” Chat asked, and even though she couldn’t see his face she could hear his smile. 

“You’re pretty cocky for someone who cried when he found out who I was.” she tossed back. 

“Hey!” Chat pulled away so she could see his face. His eyes were twinkling. “You told me I shouldn’t apologize for my feelings. Besides, you have no idea how many times I’ve had to talk myself out of believing Marinette was Ladybug, despite how much I wanted it to be true.”

Ladybug felt her heart melting into a puddle of goo. “That's good," she whispered, fighting hard to make sure her words came out properly. "Because I was going to be awfully disappointed if you turned out to be anyone besides Adrien."

Chat smiled at her, and Ladybug was acutely aware of how close they were, and how easy it would be to just lean in and kiss him again like she did that night they were making the red potion. But she stopped herself, because there was still a lot they needed to discuss, figure out, and a lot of freaking out she needed to do.

"So," Chat said, his gaze flickering between her eyes and her mouth. "Where does this put us now?"

"Hmm..." Ladybug fought hard to keep her resolve, trying to calm her thundering heart. "I think the potion is ready."

"Right," Chat answered, but made no move to sit up, instead hugged her a little tighter. "That means our potions lessons are over, aren't they? Now how will we fill our time?"

Ladybug snuggled into him, tucking her face into his neck until she could feel his hair tickling her cheeks. "I'm sure you'll think of something."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's a wrap! Thanks for reading, and being so involved in figuring out the ingredients along with me. This has been a bad time for everyone, and I personally have been struggling with a lot of anxiety, so working on this story has given me something nice to focus on that's not the real world. I hope everyone out there is staying safe, and taking care of themselves!

**Author's Note:**

> Comments? Come chat with me at somethingvaguetodo.tumblr.com


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